Unithien Earthhaven
| faction = *Clergy of Artemicia *Earthhaven Family *Hyuga Clan *Church of the Memory of Cardia (formerly) *Dresdens (formerly) *Grand Alliance (formerly) | ageoftga = }} Unithien Earthhaven is a white mage and a Confessor of the Clergy of Artemicia in the Fourth Age. She is the daughter of Varalia Earthhaven and Hiroki Hyuga, and half-sister of Ildor Earthhaven. A veteran of the Second Great War, she is religious and despises demons and practitioners of the dark arts. Biography Third Age Early Years Sad Beginnings Unithien Earthhaven was born from the union of the cruel Yamatian lord Hiroki Hyuga and his unwilling elven slave, Varalia Earthhaven. One day Varalia stole Hiroki's sword Caraxa, killed the lord in desperation and fled into the wilderness with Unithien. However, Unithien was kidnapped and sold to Remonian slave traders led by the Black Widow. An old, wise slave in the Black Widow's camp who called herself Greyrain began training Unithien in the art of white magic. After the sage passed away, Unithien took her name Greyrain and added it as her own in order to honour the valuable lessons the healer had taught her. The Great War reached Remon sometime later, and the slave traders' organization was destroyed in the process although the Black Widow slipped away in the resulting chaos. King Marcus Sarillius's forces eventually liberated Remon, and Unithien was taken in by the clerics of Cardia, the God of Order, who noticed that she was already a skilled white mage thanks to the training the original Greyrain had put her through. By the time the Great War ended, Unithien had become a skilled white mage who had found a purpose serving Cardia and promoting the cause of Order in a war-torn world. Cleric of Order The death of Cardia during the Cataclysm, which ended the Great War, shocked the Clergy of Cardia. The clergy went through various reforms as the clerics tried to redefine the church's purpose in the new World of Ruin now that their patron deity and guiding light was gone. A cleric named Jonathan Ferron appeared and began using his charisma to sweet-talk several Remonian clerics to his side while also not shying away from more ruthless tactics when necessary. His intention was simple: to keep the clergy active in a world which needed it more than ever. His talents gained attention, and he became the clergy's new high cleric while renaming what remained of the old clergy as the Church of the Memory of Cardia in honour of Cardia's sacrifice. The church settled in Remonton and Fragnar when the Remonian cities became squabbling city-states in the aftermath of King Marcus's mysterious disappearance. The clerics collaborated with the Stewards' Council in Remonton to keep neighbouring areas secure from wild beasts, marauders and warring barons. Unithien, like most clerics of Cardia in Remon, admired Ferron's skills in leadership even if there were some whispers that he had been a cleric of Mardük once. However, such rumours did not concern Unithien: even if Ferron had been working for Cardia's swon enemy in the past, she thought that his switch of factions indicated that Cardia could purify anyone's soul if given enough time. Unithien eventually joined the Faithful, a task force whose purpose was to track down people who the church perceived as being hostile to Remon. However, her comrades did not fully believe in her because they considered her to be too inexperienced to handle dangerous assignments. Unithien was nevertheless determined to prove her comrades wrong, and she promised to make Remon a better place for all beings by purging the kingdom from the Chaos followers who still lurked within the very society she lived in. Godslayer Era The Age of Emptiness In 1016 AE, Unithien was sent with Father Almaric Veer and the Faithful to apprehend a man who had been spotted in the woods of Northern Remon. They found the cottage and entered it but were ambushed by the man who had managed to sense their presence. Unithien was shocked to see how swiftly the man killed her comrades with the Emerald Blade. She was also surprised that the man seemed to know His Holiness, Jonathan Ferron, from before. While Almaric distracted the man, Unithien did what she had been told to: she cast a powerful holding spell that paralyzed the man temporarily. The man mocked Unithien's attempts and told her and Almaric that he would soon break free. However, Almaric had the last laugh when he revealed that the battle had only served as a distraction while one of his men had captured a young boy. When Almaric threatened to cut the boy's throat, the mysterious man surrendered peacefully, which surprised Unithien who had expected the man to attack. The man was put in shackles, and Unithien was thanked for enabling the man's capture. The cottage was set on fire, and the party and their two prisoners began the march to Remonton. The party reached the Palace of Justice, and His Holiness, Jonathan Ferron, was pleased to see that the man had been captured. The man, whose name turned out to be Refan, seemed to act defiant again, and he and Ferron had a short but heated debate about how legitimate Ferron's title of Lord Protector really was. Unithien wondered how these two men knew each other already and if there was something else behind this that she was not aware of. The debate ended when Refan was taken to the dungeon, and Unithien was ordered to be his escort. Unithien was shocked when she saw how Refan was put on a rack. She objected to the use of torture and begged Almaric to stop. However, Almaric was not swayed, and instead he told Unithien that there was a good reason why Refan had been captured. Unithien watched in horror as Refan was forced to change into a monstrous form. Almaric explained that Refan was in fact partly demonic and Ferron wanted to use Refan's demonic powers to spot possible demons spies and eliminate them before they became a threat to Remon. It was then that the true agenda of the Faithful was revealed: they existed for the sole purpose of hunting down demons and anyone who was connected to Mardük without telling anyone, not even the Stewards' Council, about the existence of this threat. If commoners ever found out that Remon had been infiltrated, they would become paranoid, and chaos would reign supreme. Unithien could not take all this shocking information on one sitting, though. She could not believe that something as vile as demons could have entered the territory that had once belonged to Cardia or that the citizens were unaware of the threats that loomed over them. She panicked and ran away from the dungeon. Almaric let her go as he was certain that she would calm down soon and understand how important the Faithful were to the church and to Remon as a whole. However, things changed when the recently formed Proninist Party took over Remonton in a quick and daring coup. The Proninists had noticed how the poorer people were not happy with the riches of the church and the Stewards' Council, and they used this frustration to their advantage. Unithien stayed hidden in the crowd, but as she entered the plaza, she was shocked to see none other than Almaric and various other high-ranking clerics being executed while the crowd cheered on. Unithien ran away once more, horrified how easily her beloved church had fallen and how vicious the citizens of Remonton had suddenly become. On Death's Trail Unithien was captured eventually, and she was to be executed in the city square like Almaric. The Proninists lied about her involvement in murders and rapes just to make the crowd despise her and the other clerics. Just when the axe was about to cut Unithien's head off, the executor fell down, bleeding. Unithien looked at her saviour and saw none other than the man she had helped capture earlier: Refan. The man explained that he had managed to escape from the church's dungeons when the Proninists had taken over the city. Unithien questioned why Refan would want to save her even though she had been responsible for the capture of him and the child. Refan answered that he was only following the Code of Thieves and paying Unithien back for the kindness she had shown him. Unithien promised to escape with Refan but only if Refan would not kill anyone: she did not want to see anyone else dying like Almaric had. Refan grudgingly agreed, and the two soon found themselves surrounded by Proninist guards. A new opponent appeared, however: a mage named Belial de Ardyn challenged Refan to a duel. Unithien and the guards simply watched the sudden duel in shock, not knowing how to react. Belial soon realized that he had targeted the wrong person and had a short but brutal conversation with Refan, essentially forcing him to become his servant. Refan relucantly agreed but only if Belial would keep Unithien safe. The two made a deal, and Unithien was too surprised to comment on it. Before anything else could happen, more Proninists appeared and captured Belial, Refan and Unithien. The trio was taken to the Palace of Justice where Commissar Sergei Malik was waiting for them. Malik was not pleased by the havoc that Belial and Refan had caused by interfering with Unithien's execution. He ordered the trio to a cell in a nearby tower and told them that they would be executed at a later date. Unithien was surprised when she saw a raven talking with Belial once they had been taken to the cell. Belial explained that the raven was his familiar, although Unithien was beginning to think that the man was simply bonkers. However, the raven did what it had been told and led a group of Wanderers to free the prisoners. Unithien was free at last, but she decided to stay with Refan and Belial for the time being, because there was safety in numbers. Things had gone to hell in Remonton while Unithien had been locked away. An ice elemental was destroying houses and killing people, and a group of heroes was desperately trying to defeat the beast. Unithien could only watch in horror as the fierce battle raged on, but eventually a woman named Axikasha Keiran and a man named Marcus Sarillius succeeded in driving the elemental back to the High Plane. Although Unithien was unsure of how such a beast had suddenly appeared in the city, she knew what she had to do: there were many wounded all over the city, and she decided to use her white magic to save as many of them as she could. A Game of Deception It had taken a year to rebuild Remonton after the ice elemental's attack. Unithien had worked with the city's white mages and learned from an elfess named Rhylian Loras and a mage named Dieter von Waldheim about the dreaded Blood Fever. Unithien helped them gain access to what was left of the libraries of Remonton, but the trio found only little information about the disease. Meanwhile the paladin Marcus Sarillius had reclaimed his title as the King of Remon and had sent invitations to various people all around Remon. Many people answered his call, and delegates from various races and city-states appeared in Remonton to have a meeting about the possible revival of the Grand Alliance. Unithien was happy to see His Holiness Jonathan Ferron among the delegates. They talked things through about what Unithien had witnessed in the dungeons, and Ferron also inquired the whereabouts of Refan. Unithien was happy to answer, especially when she noticed that her answers pleased Ferron. Unithien also tried to argue that maybe not all demons were evil because Refan had shown kindness, but Ferron quickly changed the subject and asked Unithien to join his delegation. The meeting was successful, and many delegates and their factions helped Marcus form the Second Grand Alliance. Unithien stayed in the infirmary to help with sick elves who had been infected with the Blood Fever. She was surprised to see that a few members of the Blades of Vigilance took an injured Refan to the infirmary, although she did not know why Refan had gotten himself so injured. Belial appeared later that night to take Refan with him, but Unithien wanted to go along as well, because she said she might be needed if Refan's wounds began bleeding again. Belial accepted Unithien's offer and led her and Refan to an inn where Ax was already talking to people. It turned out that someone had kidnapped Marcus that night and Ax was planning to lead a rescue party to the Ruined Kingdom to save Marcus. Unithien volunteered to go along, because she knew that her white magic would be needed. However, another reason for her willingness to follow the group was to keep an eye on Refan: it was what Ferron had instructed her to do. Echoes of War Unithien accompanied the rescue party to the Ruined Kingdom. She stayed behind at the entrance to the ruined city with one group while another group led by Ax entered a temple in the city. She and her companions soon met a new person, Tiyana Natiya, who had somehow teleported into the area. Although Unithien was suspicious of her, she decided to brush her thoughts aside, especially when she and her companions noticed a group of Totenkopfs entering the temple. Unithien and her group followed after the Totenkopfs and soon found themselves in the middle of a three-way battle between Ax's group, the Totenkopfs and Marcus's kidnappers. Tiyana tried to cast time magic but one of the Totenkopfs managed to injure her. Unithien immediately hurried to Tiyana's side to stop the bleeding. She succeeded in it, but she did not have the skill to reattach Tiyana's severed hand. The battle turned even more chaotic when three people were possessed by gods: Ax by Hephaestus, a Totenkopf named Jacob Seneron by Nergal and a captive elf named Mori'sul Agara by Shakkan. Unithien realized that this was no longer some internal conflict; this battle would only be a prelude to a world-wide conflict where the gods themselves would participate in. Unithien was awed by the presence of the gods in the host bodies, and she wondered if this had been Cardia's sign to strengthen her spirit for the trials yet to come. The battle eventually ended in Nergal's retreat, and Mori'sul sacrificed his life to teleport the heroes to safety while the remaining Totenkopfs were left behind to die as the temple collapsed on them. Unithien could hardly believe her eyes when she saw the god Hephaestus actually manifesting in front of Ax and Marcus and making the two his clerics. However, she forgot all of this when she realized that someone was humming the same song she had heard when she had been little. This person turned out to be one of Marcus's kidnappers, and Unithien realized that the elfess was her long-lost mother, Varalia Earthhaven. The mother and the daughter had a tearful reunion which was soon interrupted by the angered Belial who ordered his men to tie up Varalia because of the threat she might pose to the group. This infuriated Unithien, and to her surprise Refan came to her defense. The thief confronted Belial and eventually forced Belial to reveal all his schemes. The party became less trusting of one another after the revelation but nevertheless hurried out of the Ruined Kingdom when they heard inhuman screams in the distance. Night came, and in a surprising move Ax allowed Unithien and Varalia to talk to one another at night when everyone was asleep. Unithien did not know that Ax had been behind this arrangement, but she was nevertheless glad that she could finally talk to her mother after all these years of separation. However, she also decided that she would have to learn the dark arts from Ferron in order to grow stronger and protect everyone, especially her mother. This decision would shape her future although it was unclear what path it would take. A Crimson Dawn The party met with the army of the Grand Alliance that was marching to Maar Sul to liberate it from the Proninist Party. Unithien was happy to spend time with her mother. They reached Maar Sul City later with no resistance from the Proninists. Unithien decided not to attend the ball that was held in the Citadel, and instead she walked around the city, admiring its grand architecture. She also hoped secretly in her heart that her mother would be spared in whatever trial the Alliance had in mind. It troubled her that her mother Varalia had sided with Cardia's killer, the Godslayer, whom Unithien despised. She wondered what reasons Varalia had had for staying with the Grey Cult. The walk through the city led Unithien to the remains of the murdered Belial de Ardyn in the morning. Unithien was shocked to see the gory remains of the powerful mage and fainted. Members of SAVAGE found her soon after and took her to a nearby hospital for recovery. Unithien recovered quickly and after a brief interrogation she attended the funeral of Belial which was held in the evening where she learned that Belial's servant Khalid al-Saif was in fact an exiled noble from the Sultanate of Karaganda and Belial's son and heir. She also talked to Ferron who promised to teach her black magic, and she in turn promised to use this power for the greater good. Khalid talked openly with the heroes of the Alliance the day following the funeral and asked them to accompany him to Vanna so that he could reclaim his throne from his aunt who had wrongfully taken the throne from him. Realizing the potential of gaining allies of the warrior tribes of Vanna, Marcus and the rest of the Alliance agreed to help Khalid in his mission. Unithien chose to follow Ferron and the rest of the group to Vanna, hoping to drive away the Clergy of Artemicia and establish a new, Cardia-loving community there. Tears of the Sun The Winds of Wrath Sowing Season Devourer's Reach More info later. The Point of No Return Although Unithien followed the Grand Alliance and the retreating Sarquil towards Alent at first, Nesa eventually approached her to once again ask her to leave with him. Nesa's condition had grown worse, and although Unithien would've wanted to stall a bit longer as she was eager to visit Alent and meet Varalia there, she understood that Nesa really needed her. Thus she chose to accompany him in the role of a healer on his mysterious journey. More info later. A Cry in the Dark More info later. Heart of Darkness Unithien participated in the scheme by the Vulfsatz as well as their new allies, who included Louhi Pohjola, Gilgamesh and Persephone Barca, to kidnap Marcus. Unithien felt bad deceiving Marcus but relented because her mother explained it was a necessary evil so that their new allies could help them flee from Alent. She also felt uncomfortable with another ally her mother seemed familiar of, a cloaked mage in yellow calling himself Drishnek. Unithien too, however, was deceived when she realized that although Varalia had promised not to lay a hand on Marcus's two escorts who had been captured with him, she had never promised that their other companions couldn't do anything to them. Unithien came to realize that her mother could twist the truth to suit her needs and that the company she'd ended up in might get her into more trouble despite her initially good intentions. As the group prepared to be teleported out of the catacombs beneath Alent with Marcus as their prisoner, Unithien managed to leave a trace of a spell which could be tracked by competent mages. She hoped that in case she walked into a trap of some sort and people came looking after Marcus, they'd find her magical message and figure things out from there, perhaps even trace her whereabouts and come to the rescue. A bright flash of light surrounded the group, and Unithien and her companions were whisked away through time and space to their new destination. Despair's Wake Unithien woke up in an unfamiliar location. She wandered around the enclosed space until she finally found a way outside and realized she was on a ship at sea. She went to talk with Varalia who revealed that they had been teleported to Yamato. Unithien had mixed feelings about returning to her homeland. More info later. Garden of Fear The group fought against the pirates with Wes's help and ended up aided by a healer named Oscar Locke who happened upon the scene when he had exited his clinic. The brawl was resolved after Hiroki Hyuga arrived and intimidated the gang and its leader, Kusotare, to leave unless they wanted to risk the wrath of Kuro Tori for attempting to touch his 'property'. Oscar then asked the group to accompany him to his clinic where he offered them something to eat and drink to regain their strength. During the conversations that followed, Uminoko suddenly realized that Unithien was suffering from some illness and retreated into a nearby room in panic, believing it to be contagious. Unithien worried that if Uminoko discovered that she was suffering from Blood Fever and learned how dangerous it was to elves that she might spread the news throughout the Cove, which could lead Unithien and her mother into serious trouble. To calm Uminoko down, Hiroki suggested that Unithien accompany him outside until Varalia and the others could convince Uminoko that there was nothing to worry about. Varalia lied to people, claiming that Unithien was merely suffering from a minor illness, refusing to state the true reason for her condition. While outside, Hiroki finally spoke with Unithien at length, explaining how he was still alive and how he had ended up s a servant of the Pirate King in the Cove. Unithien was angry at her father who showed up alive after all these years but was shocked when she learned that Hiroki had apparently had a change of heart and was now asking for her forgiveness. Unithien was unsure how to respond to him and began pondering if she could ever forgive him or if she should go to her eventual grave content without making amends with him before the end of her life. More info later. Fourth Age Interim Years After the Catastrophe and the rise of the demonic Andarian Empire that ushered in the Fourth Age, the disillusioned Unithien joined with the Clergy of Artemicia for good. No longer a cheerful, optimistic woman after all the betrayals and horrors she had gone through, she grew cold, bitter and ruthless, viewing that all the world's ills had come about from the schemes of demons and practitioners of dark arts. She also blamed her former companions for having taken away the magic of the Beacon of Alent from her; she had hoped to put the great power to good use but now had to make do with ordinary magic like everyone else. Unithien became a diligent follower of Artemicia's faith, eventually becoming an acolyte under the Confessor of the clergy as the clergy established itself in the new Kingdom of Zion. When the old Confessor passed away, Unithien inherited her mantle and insignia of an Azure Dove and became known as Lady Unithien Earthhaven, Confessor of Artemicia. Over time, she became well known for being a great healer. As the years went by, her fanaticism grew, and she began obsessing over matters of purging the taint of darkness from people to make them pious in the eyes of the gods. Ironically the cleric who had once questioned the methods of the inquisitors of the Church of the Memory of Cardia had now become like her old demon-hunting mentors. Herald of the Dawn As Andaria celebrated the twentieth anniversary of its founding, Unithien arrived to the Imperial City in the company of fellow clerics and two bodyguards. She nearly trampled a pair of demon children to death when they tried to block her way to ask for her blessing, only to see a brave citizen save them in the nick of time and nearly make Unithien fall off her horse. Choosing to ignore the interlopers, she pressed onward to the Imperial Palace where she was received by Duchess Jahi Gallu who acted as a representative of the Emperors and Empresses and, much to Unithien's dismay, Count Ronove whom she chose to ignore despite him recognizing her. After a bit of back and forth between the Confessor and the Duchess, Unithien and Jahi retired to a nearby room to discuss the matter of the Artemician clergy's annual tribute to Andaria while the rest of the clerics left to seek out the faithful of Artemicia in the Temple of the Unknown God. Aliases and Nicknames ; Azure Dove : One of her epithets based on the insignia she inherited from her predecessor. ; Cleric : Used by Refan d'Zarnagon, Shyralis and occasionally Raul Emmenson. ; Confessor : Her title in the Clergy of Artemicia. ; Lady Earthhaven : One of her formal titles in the Fourth Age. ; Sister Unithien : Used by members of the Church of the Memory of Cardia. ; Uni : Used affectionately by Nesa Mikoto, Ronove Thanadar and Varalia Earthhaven. Since the Fourth Age, Unithien has come to dislike the nickname due to the painful memories of loss associated with it. Appearance Unithien has brown eyes. She used to have long, raven-black hair but cut it after joining the Clergy of Artemicia to show her piety. She is of medium height and has a slender and fragile figure. She wears a white cloak with blue and gold and a leather armour underneath it. She also has leather boots that are durable and offer protection from harsh weather conditions. Personality and Traits In the Third Age, Unithien used to be somewhat shy around people, especially men. She did have a cheerful attitude when she opened up, however, but she often tried to supress it in order to look more competent and more experienced than she actually was. She preferred to heal people, but she could defend herself and her comrades if needed although she relied more on her magic than brute force when dealing with enemies. In the Fourth Age, Unithien has become more reserved and strict, her happiness seemingly all but gone as she now acts as a formal, pious and diligent Confessor. She has grown to dislike demons and practitioners of the dark arts after she had suffered in their hands in past conflicts and is willing to do all in her power to keep her clergy and those she considers pious safe from users of dark magic. She expects people to follow protocol and grows angry if etiquette is not followed. Despite her fanaticism, she is intelligent enough to know when to back down and not cause trouble, and she selects her battles carefully. Powers and Abilities Unithien is not too experienced in close combat, but she can defend herself adequately with her staff. Her real power lies in her white magic, however, which is above middle-level magic thanks to decades of training. She can also cast some supportive spells which can hold enemies in place long enough for her comrades can finish them off although she can only do this for one person at a time and has to concentrate for a while before casting the spell. By the Fourth Age, she has mastered magic enough to have conjured an owl familiar which accompanies her at all times, communicates with her, spies for her, and boosts her spells when needed. Although the familiar is a great boon to her, the downside is that she'll be disoriented if her familiar is brought to the verge of death, so she tries to keep the familiar out of harm's way whenever possible. Relationships Hiroki Hyuga Unithien had conflicted feelings over her father Hiroki. She initially came to view him as a monster who had abused her mother, but they seemed to grow closer when they were reunited decades later and Hiroki expressed remorse for her actions. However, when Hiroki proved that he only cared for Unithien and the Hyuga and not about anyone else, it reaffirmed Unithien's earlier stance, and she openly disowned him and swore to never let her guard down ever again to any practitioner of the dark arts. After Hiroki was revealed as a lich and decapitated, Unithien acquired his still alive skull and kept it safe in a chest so she could use her lich father's knowledge of the dark arts to better combat other practitioners of black magic in her career. Despite Hiroki claiming to do anything in his power to prove to her that he's a worthy father, Unithien only sees him as a means to an end, only opening the chest when it's absolutely necessary to gain inside knowledge on how her enemies think. Jonathan Ferron Unithien worships Jonathan Ferron who is known as His Holiness in the Church of the Memory of Cardia. She feels that Ferron was single-handedly responsible for keeping Cardian clerics organized in the chaotic aftermath of the Cataclysm. She would die for him, and part of her motivation for spreading the One Truth is that she wants to make him happy. Ferron has only fueled Unithien's trust by acting as a mentor and father figure for her, but his goals may not be as noble as Unithien believes. Nesa Mikoto Unithien and Nesa became close friends because both shared the passion for white magic and wanted to help people. It took quite a while until Unithien realized she actually had feelings for Nesa, but she didn't want to tell him because by that time Nesa was already dating Rhylian. She still cares for him but has chosen to remain as his friend. Refan d'Zarnagon Unithien is not quite sure how to feel about Refan. Although she is horrified that he is a demon and has killed so many of her comrades, he has also saved her from certain death during a public execution. This odd behaviour puzzles Unithien who at the same time is afraid of Refan and also drawn to him. Varalia Earthhaven Varalia and Unithien had always shared a close bond. Even though they did not live together for long because Unithien was kidnapped, they always felt that they would find each other someday. Their mother-daughter love became apparent once more when the two were finally reunited in the Ruined Kingdom although Varalia was taken into custody soon after. They were later reunited again in Alent, and this time Unithien sided with her mother and abandoned the Alliance. See also *Church of the Memory of Cardia *Clergy of Artemicia *Earthhaven Family *Hyuga Clan *Jonathan Ferron *Nesa Mikoto *Refan d'Zarnagon *Stolas Category:Characters from Remon Category:Characters from Zion Category:Church of the Memory of Cardia Category:Clergy of Artemicia Category:Dresdens Category:Earthhaven Family Category:Fourth Age characters Category:Grand Alliance Category:Hyuga Clan Category:Mixed Ancestry Category:Third Age characters